Two guys, a girl and a video game
by zippizappi
Summary: Caleb and Toby team up to take care of Caleb's daughter. Rated K


**TWO GUYS, A GIRL AND A VIDEO GAME**

"Remember to use ointment to treat her diaper rash." Hanna pursed her lips and showered the little girl on her arm with wet kisses on her cheek.

"I know, I know." Caleb breathed with exasperation.

"And always make sure you clean her binkie in case she drops it."

"Babe, I've got this. I'll be fine." Caleb put his hands on her shoulders and steadied her. "Haley will be fine." A warm look met her eyes, exuding confidence.

Hanna heaved a heavy sigh and finally let go of their five-month-old daughter, handing her over to Caleb's arms. "But if something seems off to you, please call me!"

Caleb took Haley from her and pressed a light kiss to the fine hairs on her head. The baby was a little fussy, throwing her head back and forth between the two adults, sensing some change in the air.

"You go and have fun with the girls. I'll hold the fort here. Don't worry!" He gently swayed the little girl in his arms, the hand at the back of her head giving her an extra little bit of security. Eventually, Haley leaned her head against his chest, signaling she had found comfort in her daddy's arms.

"I could still tell Spencer that I can't make it because of the baby," Hanna said to him with a worried expression on her face.

"And skip her bachelorette party weekend in Atlantic City?" Caleb frowned at her.

"No, you're right. She'd never forgive me." Putting on a brave face, Hanna turned to retrieve her luggage. "You know how to get her bottle ready?"

"Han, I told you. I've got this. And if I really do need help with anything, I'll give your mom a call."

"I'm pretty sure she's sitting at home right now, practically waiting for the phone to ring so she can have an excuse to come over and cuddle Haley."

"Can you blame her?" The proud dad brought his head down to the baby and laid it against her head, letting it rest there for a moment.

"No-ho-hoooo," Hanna dropped the handle and held her arms out as she came closer to her daughter, a mock whining in her voice. Before she could grab her, there was a series of honks outside, telling her the other girls had arrived to pick her up for their weekend getaway.

In a heartbeat, the excitement had returned, lifting Hanna's spirits. Despite having to come to grips with the idea of leaving her little girl behind, she was looking forward to a weekend away from her. Sure, she and Caleb had managed to slip in casual date nights every other week while Grandma Ashley was babysitting Haley. But she had never spent a night away from her little one entirely.

The fridge was stocked up with bottles of pre-pumped breast milk. There was even more supply of milk in the freezer. And as of lately, the pantry held small glasses of baby food for Haley's new venture into the world of pureed carrots and parsnip.

No, their baby would be fine in Caleb's hands, Hanna decided and without looking back, she grabbed her coat from the rack.

"Hey! Aren't you forgetting something?" Caleb stood in the middle of the living room and watched his wife get ready to leave.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course you're right." Hanna turned on her heel and walked across the room to where Caleb waited with his lips already pursed. However, Hanna leaned down and kissed her daughter goodbye. "Goodbye my sweet baby girl," she said in a high-pitched voice that Caleb had gotten used to in the past months since their daughter was born.

He watched the intimate interaction between mother and child, knowing fairly well how Hanna was feeling at the moment. He had been on a few business trips in the past weeks that had brought about some heartfelt goodbyes for him and Haley. But in the end, coming home had been the best feeling in the world to him, always making it seem like his daughter had grown an inch over the previous two or three days or had reached another milestone in her short life.

"I'll be back tomorrow night, just in time to read you a goodnight story. Bye, Haley. I love you!" Hanna wiped away a small tear that she had hoped she could hide in front of Caleb. She didn't want him to think that she didn't trust him with taking care of their baby all by himself.

Biting her lip, Hanna turned and wheeled her suitcase through the door and into the hallway. Seconds later, the heavy metal door fell shut with a loud thud, leaving behind a stunned baby on the verge of crying.

Caleb tried to laugh about the fact that his wife had totally forgotten to say goodbye to him.

"Ok, Haley. We'll give her two minutes." With Haley still on his arm, he stayed rooted to his spot and looked at the closed door.

As if on cue, a panting and sweating Hanna broke through the door. "I ran all the way back up… because I… I had… I forgot…" She held her hand to her hip, trying to catch her breath. "I forgot something," she eventually managed to finish her sentence.

Caleb removed his arm from Haley's head and dug into the back pocket of his black denims. Then, he held out his hand with the item in question. "I installed the app and already took care of all the settings so you should be able to connect to our video baby monitor from your hotel room if you want to see her tonight. Though, I don't think Aria has scheduled some time for baby surveillance this weekend. I saw her Maid of Honor binder." Caleb laughed as he explained his shenanigans with Hanna's cell phone.

But she ignored the phone in his hand and moved closer, framing his face with her hands on his cheeks. She met his mouth for a lingering kiss. "I'll miss you, too, Caleb!"

"Text me when you got there, alright?" He kissed her one last time before shoving the cell phone in his hand into Hanna's open purse that hung over her shoulder.

"I'll call you," she countered.

"I know you will," Caleb smiled at her lovingly. "Now go before Aria gives you a piece of her mind for ruining her driving schedule." He gently nudged her towards the front door, and Hanna willingly complied.

Closing the door behind her, Caleb finally found himself alone with his daughter and feeling ready to take on the adventure of a 36-hour single parent shift, hopefully without needing any help from his mother-in-law.

"Alright, Haley. It is now…" He checked the time with a quick glance at the digital clock on their electric stove. "…nine thirty-seven. Mommy will probably drink her weight away tonight and fall asleep in her hotel bed even before you do, so you better not miss her too much today. Okay? Are we good?" He waited a moment for the baby to express her concerns, but the blonde little girl only looked at him with eyes opened wide, fully alert.

"I see you're just as excited about our daddy-daughter day as I am," Caleb teased her. He gently grabbed her body, holding her tightly under her armpits before his arms moved up, pretending to throw her in the air for some giddy fun. But the abrupt movement caused her to flinch, so he just held her above his head as high as his arms would reach and let her "fly" through the room, rounding all sorts of obstacles on the way like their couch table or Hanna's Styrofoam mannequin that still took up room in their apartment even though Hanna hadn't touched any fabrics or needles ever since Haley's birth.

Exhausted, Caleb eventually sat down on the couch. A vibrating noise coming from one of the end tables had stirred his attention. Reaching for his phone, he steadied Haley on his lap. A small smile crept up his face as he realized who was calling him. "Hey, baby! Missing us already?" he answered the phone.

"Uh, yeah. Kind of. Did I remember to tell you that we're running low on Haley's diaper rash ointment?" Hanna's concerned voice came in.

"Yeah, you did," he said cheerfully. "And I already got a new tube from Doctor Lowensteen yesterday. It's in the diaper bag." He heard Emily's voice in the background, mumbling "See, we told you so," and Spencer adding, "Hang up, Han. No more baby talk this weekend."

"Anything else?" Caleb smiled at the thought of how Hanna's friends would probably take her phone away now to keep her from checking in on him every hour during their party weekend in Atlantic City. Hanna was a doting mother, showering her first-born with endless love. He had been counting on getting several calls from her, just not that quickly after her departure.

"Yes," Hanna yelled, and her voice seemed to be coming from further away from the microphone. "I love you!" Caleb heard them all laughing, leading him to imagine that one of her friends had yanked the phone out of Hanna's hands and she'd had to raise her voice to get her message for Caleb across.

Smirking, he put the phone away and settled deeper into the couch cushions. In the meantime, Haley had found her burping cloth hanging from her father's shoulder and was sucking strongly on it, leaving it wet and sloppy in the process. Caleb watched her with content as she tried to stuff the fabric into her little mouth. "You hungry, Haley?" He cleared his throat after noticing his voice had risen a few octaves higher than he had intended.

It was funny. Caleb had never imagined himself as a dad who would automatically resort to baby talk when interacting with his own child. But here she was, his daughter of five months, cute as a button and too petite to scare her with his low timbre.

Not really expecting an answer, he was surprised when the girl cracked a smile and let out a series of undistinguishable syllables.

When Caleb was about to head over to the refrigerator, there was a knock on the door, prompting him to take a detour through the living room to answer it. Holding Haley under his arm like a football, he now had a free hand to grab the knob and turn it in its lock.

"Toby?" he said with undisguised surprise showing on his face when the person who had knocked was revealed.

"Please be my alibi," Toby quickly said, leaving Caleb with a puzzled expression.

"What's going on?" he greeted his friend without leaving his spot by the door.

"Veronica is hosting a business brunch for her associates at home and asked me to represent the family in Peter's place. I told her I had a call of duty." Toby reached inside his jacket and presented two video game boxes to him. "Please be my alibi."

"Uh, Toby. You know I'd love to but I can't. Not this weekend. I have to take care of Haley." Caleb hated to brush him off, especially when his friend was looking at him like that… desperate.

It wasn't until now that Toby caught on to the little baby on Caleb's arm. "Wait, what's Haley doing here? I thought she was with Hanna."

"Why would Hanna bring a baby to a bachelorette party? And to Atlantic City of all places?" Caleb shot him a concerned look, questioning his sanity.

"I don't know." Toby shrugged. "Because of her… boobs? And because… she's Über-Mom."

"Well, today it's just Über-Dad and bottles of pre-pumped milk. What's with the despair?"

"Do you have a couple of minutes? I need some bro time. I think I'm going to go nuts if I hear the words prenuptial agreement coming from Veronica one more time." His other arm came up, and he ruffled through his hair.

Caleb felt bad for his best friend. He'd gotten to know the Hastings family closer in the past, which he preferred to forget about nowadays and he had an idea of how narrow-minded Mrs. Hastings would be when it came to her daughter's wedding. His own mother-in-law was more than welcoming when he and Hanna got married, had even helped them get married in the first place. And no-one had mentioned a pre-nuptial agreement just once… "Sure." Sighing, he stepped aside to let Toby in.

"Hey, Haley!" Toby said as he walked past Caleb. When the door had fallen shut behind him, he stood and awkwardly hugged Caleb, trying not to squash the baby. "How are you, man? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

"Go sit on the couch if you can find a vacant spot. I'll get us something to drink." Caleb put Haley down on a soft blanket for some tummy time, and she busied herself with a squeaky rubber giraffe, allowing him to take care of his guest.

He grabbed two cans of Dr. Peppers from the fridge and walked over to the couch, where Toby had found the only 15-inch stretch to sit on without squeaking or rustling with some toy. "Sorry! I know this place is a mess right now, but Haley's been really fussy lately and it's getting hard to keep her entertained all day without using your hands or your face for once," Caleb apologized.

"Nah, don't worry about me. I've lived in worse conditions," Toby set the video games down on the couch table and stretched out before opening the can that Caleb had given to him. "After Yvonne died, I wouldn't change my clothes for a week and slept on the couch in our lake cabin with dozens of empty pizza boxes."

"Hanna and I used to make an effort to keep this place clean after Haley was born. But then we realized that all that time we'd spent cleaning was time that we didn't get to spend with our baby," Caleb explained while shoving the toys in an empty container. "So now we have a cleaning lady that comes in once a week. But for the next two days, this is what it really looks like with a five-month-old at home."

Toby took a few swigs and put the can down, nodding. "I'm surprised you haven't grown a full beard yet from what I keep hearing about how time-consuming babies can be."

"Are you fucking kidding? My wife would kill me if I did." Caleb slumped into the cushions. "Besides, not everyone can wear one as gracefully as you do." He spent the next seconds chugging his soda. "Sorry. You never know when you get another chance to eat or drink around here," he apologized after noticing that Toby had been eyeing him quizzically.

Together, they watched Haley who was cheerfully playing with Sophie the giraffe – a birth present that Mona had sent them from Paris. "Really? She looks pretty content to me," Toby commented.

"Ha, don't be fooled. She's got a knack for revving up just when you're about to wind down," Caleb quickly said. He let his head fall back, exhaling a deep breath. His gaze fell on the video games that were lying on the table. He picked up one of the cases and stared at it for a long moment. "Fortnite, huh?"

"Have you played it?" Toby asked.

"Yeah, right!" Caleb snorted.

"Wanna?"

Toby's question prompted him to look sideways where he caught his friend's mischievous expression. "You start the game, I'll get Haley's diaper changed quickly. I won't be long, you're talking to a total pro here."

"Awesome… Thanks, man! Just what I need." Toby opened the case and crossed the room to access the gaming console while Caleb scrambled to get up in order to pick up his daughter from her blanket, scrunching his nose as he came closer. "Whoa, seems like it's about time."

He carefully lifted her up and pressed her to his chest. "Miss Haley Marlene Rivers, how do you do it? How can a small person such as you produce a big stink such as this?"

Toby screwed up his face in disgust as he watched him disappear in the bedroom. Setting up the tv and the game for them, he settled down on the couch and put his feet on the table. Then, he sat there waiting and… listening in on what appeared to be Caleb's conversation with baby Haley on the changing table.

"You're so cute-sy toot-sy with your boot-sy on your foot-sy?" he teased when the pair returned to the living room two minutes later. "Was that how you won Hanna over back in high school? And here I was, thinking I'm the one in need of some manly game time here."

"Pipe down, Goldilocks! That's the only way to keep her entertained while she's getting her diaper changed. She hates being undressed," Caleb countered from behind the couch as he tried placing his daughter in the MamaRoo, which was standing next to the couch, but the infant immediately started fussing. He turned mid-move and laid her down on Toby's lap. "Could you hold her for a minute? I need to wash my hands and change into something new."

"Uuuhh…" Toby muttered, blindsided, dropping the controller and awkwardly putting his hands to her small frame, holding her in place on his lap.

Haley looked at him with big blue eyes. The corners of her mouth were twitching and she seemed on the verge of breaking into a sob. Toby tried patting her on the back in order to soothe her, but the girl showed no sympathy for his clumsy efforts. The small mouth opened and let out the first series of high-pitched wails.

"Sway her! She loves to be swayed in your arms," Caleb called out from the bathroom as soon as the weeping reached his ears.

Toby followed his advice, and the crying subsided, only to have it start up again with increased volume when he mistakenly stopped moving after his first attempt had proven successful. "Uh, I… I think she needs her dad," he yelled in Caleb's direction.

"Try giving her the binkie. There should be one in the bassinet," Caleb suggested. "I'm going to take a leak while I'm here."

Toby carried the baby to the bassinet standing by the window. He grabbed the pacifier and quickly put it in Haley's mouth. Instantly, the room was silent… for a mere three seconds. Then, the binkie landed on the hardwood floor and Haley was crying again.

"I think she's hungry. I'll fix her a bottle." Caleb was back in the living room, wearing a fresh white t-shirt. He took the baby from his friend's arm and made a beeline for the open plan kitchen. "Why don't you start without me?" he called out over his shoulder.

With expert efficiency, Caleb handled Haley while preparing the bottle warmer. In the meantime, Toby began playing, taking turns in using both controllers and occasionally commenting on the game's graphics.

When the bottle was warmed up, Caleb sat down next to Toby with Haley in his arm and started feeding her. Juggling both baby and bottle on one arm, he used his free hand to grab his phone from the end table. "Here, take a photo of me and Haley. I'm going to send it to Hanna. She's probably driving through Trenton by now and needs something nice to look at."

Toby paused the game and took the picture. But instead of picking up his controller again, he leaned back and looked on as Haley gradually fell asleep with the almost empty bottle still in her mouth. After a while with no-one daring to move or say a word, he quietly started speaking. "So… What's it like?"

"What? Battle Royale?" Caleb asked, pointing his head to the screen.

"No! This! Being a dad," Toby clarified, his voice sounding solemn. "And having this… this… picture-perfect family?"

"What's with the deep questions, Tobe?" Caleb looked at him, concerned.

"It's just that I've known you guys for so long, been through the ups and downs with you. And seriously, I never pictured you as being the first of us guys to have a kid." Toby sheepishly turned his head back to the TV, pretending to study the freeze frame.

"Well, if it makes you feel better… neither did I." Caleb put the empty bottle on the table and carefully lifted himself off the couch. Laying Haley down in the bassinet, he added, "But things change, Toby. Once you meet the right woman, you just want to share the love and see it grow in a new person that's all of you and all of her combined."

"I'm just thinking that Spencer's not on board with that," Toby said, still avoiding looking at his best friend.

Wordlessly, Caleb went to the fridge and took two beer bottles out, opening them on his way back to the couch. Then, he reclaimed his seat next to Toby. "I know it's only 10 in the morning, but who's going to tell on us. Right?"

"Thanks, man." Toby took the bottle from him and immediately set it to his lips.

Caleb took a few swigs before turning the bottle over in his hands, going over in his mind what he would say to him. "Hey, where's this coming from? You're getting married in three weeks," he started. When he saw Toby shrug in reaction, he continued, "It's probably just wedding jitters that you're going through."

After a beat, Toby finally started explaining, "Spencer keeps talking about the perfect career she's got planned for herself, but she never talks about how having kids or having just one kid fits into her life planning. Heck, I'm surprised that I even fit into that picture after everything that happened with… Alex… you know… and Mr. Hastings."

"Spencer needs you because you keep her grounded. Have you talked to her about your feelings? I used to make the mistake of keeping things to myself. I either ended up drinking all alone and all day long in a lake cabin or losing Hanna in the process. Don't go there!" Caleb gulped down a few more swigs of beer and shook his head. "Always talk things out. That's what I learned in our relationship."

For a while, they sat quietly and finished their drinks. Eventually, Toby burped and set his bottle aside. "Fuck, I really do know how to kill the mood. Maybe you're right and I'm just nervous and that's all." He leaned forward to grab his controller. "I'll talk to Spence when she gets back."

"Yeah that's probably the best you can do. And by then she's probably been put through going over Hanna's camera roll twice, seen thousands of pictures of Haley and she's going to want one for herself." Caleb took his own controller. "Trust me. My daughter's a real magnet. She's got everyone wrapped around her tiny finger."

"I've noticed," Toby chuckled.

"Shut up and unpause," Caleb demanded, turning his head to face the TV again when the freeze frame started moving anew.

 **oOOo**

Twenty minutes later, the screen had gone still yet again when Caleb was called to daddy duty. Haley had finished napping, filling the room with incessant whining that neither Caleb's swaying arms nor her binkie could stop.

He spent the next half hour trying to calm the baby, taking turns in making funny faces and letting her fly high above his head. Exhausted, he placed a fussing Haley in the MamaRoo before flopping down in his seat and massaging his temples with his thumbs.

All of his efforts had proven futile. Caleb went through a list in his mind, ticking off what used to be sure-fire ways to calm Haley, who was usually a very laid-back baby. But that day, something seemed off.

"Do you want me to leave?" Toby asked. "Maybe I'm the reason she's being fussy. My own babe magnetism is wearing off."

"It's probably that full head of hair of yours. It's only attracting birds to nest there these days," Caleb managed to joke despite his despair about the crying infant.

"Fuck off, hermit," Toby exclaimed, but then he chimed in, laughing. "Spencer likes my hair long."

"Now who's got who wrapped around their little finger, huh?" Caleb got up and rounded the couch, pacing. At some point, he picked up his phone, pondering for a few seconds whether to call his mother-in-law for help.

Eventually, he dismissed the idea and tossed his phone in the direction of the couch. But instead, it softly landed on the blanket that Haley was swaddled in. "Be right back," he said and disappeared behind the door of the adjoining bedroom.

Haley, in the meantime, wound her little fingers around the strange object and put it into her mouth, trying to suck on it. When there was nothing remotely malleable, she found the coolness of the phone's metal body worth keeping in her mouth.

Caleb returned shortly after, carrying a balled up bundle of fabric. Standing in the middle of the room, he unfurled his load, revealing a more than 16-foot long panel of beige fabric and looking quite clueless.

Toby curiously watched him, spying from behind the backrest of the couch. "What are you doing, Rivers? Did your washer screw up your sheets again?"

"No, it's supposed to be a baby sling. I can't drive right now, so I have to walk and take her with me somehow. I just can't seem to figure this thing out. Hanna always uses it with Haley when she's fussy, but I've never worn it myself," he explained until all of a sudden, it dawned on him. "Do you hear that?"

"What?" Toby asked, bewildered.

"Exactly. Haley stopped crying." Caleb dropped the fabric and threw his head back in relief. "Finally. Hey, what does she have in her mouth? Is that my phone?" He rushed to the MamaRoo and tried to pluck his phone out of her hands, which only caused the noise to start up again, so he gave it back to her. "Ugh, what the heck. I've been dying to find a good excuse to buy myself a new phone anyway."

When Haley seemed happy again, he resumed his seat on the couch, and Toby revived their Fortnite characters.

The game was only back on for a minute when there was a thud on the floor followed by Haley breaking into loud sobs until eventually she screamed with discontent.

Caleb picked up his phone which with being drenched in saliva had slipped from her tiny hands. "Yikes," came his response upon touching the wet device. He took one of the burping cloths that were strewn all over the couch and wiped it clean. "Look, sweetie. I know it's a nice phone, but you can't possibly be addicted to social media already. Daddy's going to find something else for you to chew on, alright?"

In quick succession, he handed her one squeaky toy after another, but nothing would last long in keeping the baby from crying. Even Sophie the giraffe didn't do the trick that time.

"Is she always like this?" Toby asked, feeling genuinely bad for his friend.

"No, not at all," Caleb said, tearing his hair.

"Is it possible she might be hungry again?"

"I don't think so. She just finished her bottle about an hour ago."

"Maybe she's going through some kind of growth spurt?" Toby finally left his spot on the couch and joined Caleb by the MamaRoo that swung the weeping baby back and forth.

"I'll fix another bottle," Caleb gave in, convinced, and handed Haley over to Toby.

After the milk had been warmed up, Haley simply put the sucker in her mouth and started chewing on it, but it also didn't seem to prove being a relief. The two men looked at each other, helpless.

Toby's interest in getting to restart the video game had long been replaced by heartfelt efforts to help his buddy out. "We could try and take a walk with her. Maybe she just wants to get out of the apartment," he suggested vaguely.

"Uh-huh, for that to happen we have to figure out how to fold and tie that baby sling first," Caleb said sardonically. "Hanna usually does it for me."

"Don't you have a stroller?" Toby inquired with disbelief.

"We are pro baby-wearing. That's what's best for the child's development," Caleb recited something that he had heard Hanna say once. Though, he was starting to have his doubts about whether he still stood firm on supporting her attitude.

Toby's gaze fell on the laptop that was standing on the dining table. "I have an idea," he said, smirking.

Three minutes later, the guys were standing in front of the table, watching YouTube videos of how to properly wear a baby sling and trying to adapt the newly won insights to their own panel of cloth. In the end, Caleb had a sweaty but at long last quiet baby, somehow wrapped in what looked like a toga on him.

"Are you sure this is the safe way to wear it… I mean her?" Toby looked at the result with a skeptical expression. "You look like one of those dudes from Ben Hur or something." A smile crept upon his features, lingering for a few short seconds before he burst into a boisterous laughter.

"Laugh all you want but at least she's stopped crying," Caleb fended. He grabbed his sunglasses and his wallet from the kitchen counter. "Listen, I'm going to go out and get us something for lunch. I have a feeling I'll be needing a lot of extra energy today." Motioning to the TV screen, he added, "Hold the fort, will you? Buy some furniture or clothes or whatever and make yourself at home here."

"Hey! This is Fortnite, not the Sims," Toby yelled after him, but Caleb had already let the heavy front door fall shut. "Wait a minute, there is an outfit section in the item shop?" He said to himself, giddy. Scrolling through the items, he found a particularly funny outfit and bought it to have Caleb's game character change into it. "OK, let's see what you think about this. Bunny Brawler… you're on!"

 **oOOo**

"Honey, I'm home!" Caleb yelled as he yanked the door open after returning from his food run. He was carrying a doggy bag from Sancho's Tacos in one hand and… a single parsnip in the other while Haley was asleep in the baby sling.

Toby looked up from the screen. "Yo, Rivers. What's with the carrot?"

"It's parsnip, Caveman!" Caleb rolled his eyes and set the bag down on the couch table. "Turns out, Haley's teething." He put the vegetable in the refrigerator and came back to the couch.

"Wait, what?" Toby took his feet off the table and let Caleb pass to sit down next to him.

"My daughter chewed on that thing for two minutes and then she fell asleep. Consuela the waitress took a short look at her and gave me some helpful words of advice."

"She told you to buy parsnip?" Toby teased him.

"No, she told me to get a teether ring from the drugstore. So I went to CVS on Main which is the only store I could reach within walking distance without risking a slipped disk. But they were out. Apparently, every friggin' baby in this town is teething at the moment."

"Now what, Über-Dad?"

"So now I bought a parsnip," Caleb explained matter-of-factly, adding when he saw the confusion on Toby's face, "Consuela said that's what she did with her five kids back when they didn't have any teether toys in Mexico. She bought parsnip and carrots, put them in the fridge and let her kids soothe their gums with them."

"Well, it's probably cheaper anyway," Toby stated, acknowledging. "And healthier… with all the vitamins… and stuff," he trailed off.

 **oOOo**

Together, they sat and ate their tacos. All the while, Haley was cuddled up closely against Caleb's chest, sleeping peacefully, forcing him to bite his food awkwardly with his head turned to the side so as to not drip sauce all over her.

With the uncomfortable pressure of the baby's weight on his stomach, Caleb stopped after the first taco. He leaned back in his seat and enjoyed the tranquil moment with his daughter, smelling her silky blonde hair that peeked out from underneath the sling, feathering soft kisses to the top of her head.

Toby scarfed down his second serving, mumbling in between swallowing about the changes he'd made while Caleb was out.

Caleb was only listening with half an ear. His baby was in pain, and there wasn't much he could do about it. He put his hand on her back and felt her small frame rise and sink with each breath that she breathed in and breathed out, thinking of the moment he and Hanna brought this little miracle into the world. He couldn't imagine his life without their daughter in it… let alone how anyone could ever leave behind their own flesh and bone that was completely helpless without them.

But for now, Haley sighed contently in her sleep, prompting him to think that he would do whatever it took to always make her feel secure and loved, wishing at the same time he could keep any pain and sorrow away from her forever.

"Are you ready for our next battle?" came Toby's voice through to him after a while.

Caleb contemplated his options before he eventually came to the conclusion that he could just as well keep on playing the game with him for as long as his daughter was still asleep. He grabbed the controller and immediately poked Toby in the side with his elbow. "No, not the Bunny Brawler…! What the fuck, bro?"

 **oOOo**

They had fifty-two minutes of undisturbed gameplay before Haley woke with a start, letting everyone in the room know that something didn't sit well with her.

Caleb checked his watch. "OK, pause the game. Lunch time for our little lady." He got Haley out of the tangled sling and walked to the fridge where he took the parsnip before gently bringing it to her open mouth. She gladly accepted the cool vegetable and started chewing on it.

The next half hour was spent by Caleb fixing some of the carrot puree for Haley's lunch and feeding it to her while she was on Toby's lap.

Another half hour was spent by Toby cleaning up the giant orange stain that had spread on the black-and-white carpet beneath their feet after Haley had spat out half her lunch during tummy time and had conveniently managed to miss the black polka dots.

After that, it took them both more than an hour to get her to sleep again. Haley cried ceaselessly and would not fall asleep before Caleb eventually caved and turned to his last resort. The final method he was willing to try, which he thought was almost worse than hearing her cry.

Sighing, he stood in front of the MamaRoo and flipped a switch on the control panel. Instantly, the room was filled with white noise coming from the crackling speakers of the baby's swing.

Toby brought his hands to his ears, hoping to block out the nasty sounds. "Man, there's got to be a different way to get her to sleep." Toby stood and walked to the front door, turning to yell over his shoulder, "I'll be right back."

He returned shortly afterwards, carrying a guitar case.

"What's in there? Please tell me it's a pair of good noise-blocking headphones," Caleb said to him, looking stressed out with a few strands of hair sticking to his sweaty forehead.

Ignoring his plea, Toby opened the case and got out… a guitar. "Better!" He held it up for Caleb to see and beamed at him.

"Do you know how to play it?" Caleb called out above the noise as he came closer, trying hard to remember if his friend had told him about his musical talent before.

"I was supposed to have a lesson with my guitar tutor two hours ago but I canceled it when you were taking a walk with Haley," Toby explained.

"You're learning how to play? That's great, man!" Caleb quickly went to turn off the white noise. "Since when?"

"I started taking lessons after Spence and I got engaged. I'm planning to play and sing for her at our wedding," Toby said, a shy smile playing at his lips, prompting Caleb to pat him on the back.

Meanwhile, Haley had noticed that something familiar was missing and had started to cry again, urging Toby to sit down on a chair beside her, the guitar on his lap. He began playing the few melodies he had managed to acquire in the space of time since his first guitar lesson. They were children's songs, easy to the eye and far from perfect. But they eventually helped putting the baby to sleep.

After Toby had stopped playing, he looked at Caleb with pride.

"Damn, that was fucking awesome! I would applaud you but I'm too afraid that it could wake her." Caleb took a deep breath and let it out slowly as part of his trepidation started to subside.

"Thanks," Toby put the guitar on the table behind him and flopped down on the sofa where Caleb quickly joined him. The two guys felt completely drained and it wasn't long before they both dozed off.

 **oOOo**

Late in the evening, Caleb stood in the middle of his living room, taking in the chaos all around him. There were unwashed baby bottles in the sink, empty soda cans on the couch table, half-empty pizza cartons on the floor, several burp cloths strewn all over the couch, and an assortment of teether toys that he had picked up from Walgreens outside of Rosewood when he and Toby were driving Miss Haley around after their afternoon nap.

Even though Caleb had told Toby to go home more than once, he had refused to leave him alone. They had ordered in pizza for dinner and spent the evening talking about all the things that were going on in their lives.

Now Toby sat on the couch, practicing chords on his guitar with his cell phone propped up against an empty beer bottle before him.

Haley had had her night time bottle of breastmilk and lay next to him on the couch, content with her favorite teether toy, the parsnip resting in her hands, and listening to the sounds of music with full attention.

For a moment, Caleb considered cleaning the place, but then he threw his hands out in defeat, mumbling, "Ugh, screw you! I'll clean this place tomorrow before Hanna gets back. Stepping over several stuffed animals on the floor he reached the couch and sunk down in the seat beside his daughter. The sudden commotion of the couch cushions caused Toby to play the wrong note, so he put the guitar down and let his gaze travel to Caleb, expecting him to make an announcement as to what was about to happen next. But his buddy simply sat there slumped, with no energy whatsoever to do anything ever again.

Toby held out his fist to him. "We almost did it, man. It's after ten, so she's going to be sleeping soon, right?"

"Yeah, right." Caleb looked up to see his fist, bumped his own against it and scoffed, adding, "How long is it going to take this time?"

"I don't know. Maybe if I play the guitar and you do the singing, she could be down and out within five minutes," he suggested before going on to humor Caleb, "Your voice will do that to anyone."

Caleb's punch hit him right in the chest. Their laughter filled the room, until Haley started fussing, prompting the two adults to turn their heads sideways to look at her. The parsnip had fallen down to a place where she couldn't reach it. Toby handed it back to her.

"I don't know why I spent all that money at Walgreens when she prefers playing with this," Caleb stated after their laughter had died down.

"Is that thing safe? I mean is it possible she can actually nibble off a piece and choke on it?" Toby worried, seeing that the skin of the parsnip was getting kind of thinner.

"Whoa, now you sound just like Über-Dad yourself," Caleb answered. "I don't know. When the tooth's actually broken through, maybe." He touched her face, caressing over her chubby cheeks and chin gently. For the first time that day, Haley started smiling at him.

"Do you see this, Toby? This is what you're doing all this for," he said softly. "You may get tired as hell, you may get spit on or pooped on, but at the end of the day, all of that doesn't matter when you see your little girl smiling at you like that." His thumb stroke over her dainty lips, and her mouth opened wide with an even broader grin. That's when he saw it, the small white patch on her gums. "Fuck, is this parsnip in her mouth? Haley, spit it out!"

Toby leaned over the baby's head and analyzed Haley's mouth. "That's her first tooth, dimwit."

Caleb checked again and then picked her up high in the air. "Did you hear that, Haley? You got your first tooth!" The infant giggled at the sudden movements he was making. "Does that mean I can finally throw this sloppy thing out?" He took the parsnip from her, but that only caused her to start fussing again, so he quickly handed it back to her. "No? OK, here you go, princess."

He brought her down to cradle her and softly kissed her forehead.

"Poor Hanna!" Toby said while looking on over his shoulder.

"What? Why?" Caleb asked without taking his eyes off his daughter.

"I mean it's got to hurt to nurse Haley when she has teeth, doesn't it?"

Caleb screwed up his face as a certain image appeared in his mind. "Millions of women before her have managed to do that. I don't see why Hanna couldn't. She's tough. You should have seen her when she was in labor. I would have asked for full anesthesia from the get-go."

Toby snickered in response to his remark and picked up his guitar. "Come on Daddy! Let's get this party started."

 **oOOo**

A mere one-hundred miles away, in a penthouse suite at the Caesars in Atlantic City, Hanna stumbled into the room, linking arms with Spencer. Both women had a good buzz going on. Hanna had previously stolen away from the Ladies' Night in the rooftop bar to go pump her breastmilk or else her weekend away from Haley would have turned into a fairly painful experience. Spencer had come with her to keep her company. The other girls were still at the party, painting the town red. Aria had spent almost the entire evening on the dance floor, and co-parents Emily and Alison enjoyed their time away from home with shots and karaoke.

Hanna prepared the hand pump before making herself comfortable on the King Size bed. Meanwhile, Spencer was standing by the picture window and looked down at the twinkling lights of the city.

When after five minutes of pumping there still wasn't a single droplet of milk in the spare bottle, Hanna took her cell phone out of her purse and scrolled through her camera roll in order to look at pictures of Haley.

Spencer had heard her swear and joined her on the bed, curious to see what was going on. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No, not really. Unless you can imitate by daughter's incessant hungry cry. I need some stimulation to get the lactation process started," Hanna laughed and started pumping again after seeing pictures of Haley on her phone.

"No can do, sorry!" Spencer objected as she watched the first drops of milk trickling into the container. "That is so fascinating," she commented after a while. "Nature is so fascinating," she said again, the buzz making her voice slur a little bit. "Just as it's fascinating to see Caleb as a father."

"I know, right?" Hanna said with a smile on her face.

At the risk of falling asleep if she kept laying idly next to Hanna, Spencer sat up straight again and laid her head on her friend's shoulder. The two women started laughing.

After a while, the room fell silent except for the smacking noise that the breast pump was making. Spencer was checking her emails, and Hanna was browsing through the online shop of Babies"R"Us.

"Can't you ever not shop for baby clothes?" Spencer mocked her as she accidentally snuck a peek at Hanna's phone screen.

"For once I'm not," Hanna fended. "It's just that Haley's now five months old and I've read that babies usually start teething around six months. I want to be prepared, so now I'm shopping for teether toys."

"Hanna? That's what Walgreens is for. 24 hours at your service." A yawn slipped from her lips, and she settled deeper into the cushions. With a thud, her black faux leather pumps landed on the carpet beneath the bed. "I wonder what Toby's doing all alone tonight," she said sleepily. "Do you think he's missing me?"

Hanna laughed at her slightly self-centered question. "I know he does." Her free arm bent backward to stroke through Spencer's hair, keeping her close. "He's probably with Caleb right now, gaming the night away."

"Really? Gaming? With Haley being there?" Spencer asked, doubtful.

"Actually, she should be asleep right now," Hanna said quietly. At long last, the bottle had been filled up, and she stopped pumping. She fixed her cropped top and set the equipment aside. There was no need for her to put the bottle in a cool place; she would have to get rid of the milk anyway, unless she wanted the very first Mojito as another one of Haley's milestones in the first year of her life.

A few seconds went by without either of them speaking. "Great! Now you made me miss her even more," she murmured eventually, sounding sad.

Spencer put her arm around Hanna in the same manner in order to comfort her.

"Wait, Spence! Caleb programmed this app that connects to our video baby monitor. I can totally check in to see how she's doing right now." Hanna excitedly opened the app and entered the code Caleb had sent her. She hadn't needed to look it up once more as it was the numbers from their wedding date.

"I bet you a hundred bucks that Haley is laying in her crib, wide awake, and Caleb's lying next to her, fast asleep," Spencer joked.

Hanna held her breath as the screen first turned black and then, the familiar contours of her bedroom appeared. "Wow, this app is amazing. It almost looks like broad daylight."

"That's because the light in the room is still on," Spencer shattered her raving review of Caleb's work. "See? The camera picks up your ceiling li-."

Spencer had stopped talking as she recognized what else the camera was picking up on. "Is that… Toby?" She brought her head closer to the phone, hoping to see more.

"See, I told you," Reassuringly, Hanna laid her hand on Spencer's thigh.

"Is he holding a guitar?" Hanna tapped on a button to zoom out of the picture, and more details of the room and who was in it appeared on the screen. "Since when does Toby play the guitar?"

"Uh, beats me," Spencer said, exchanging a quick look with her. "I had no idea."

"What's Caleb doing there?" Hanna squinted her eyes as to see more clearly.

"Is he… singing?" Spencer tilted her head.

"Does this thing come with sound, too?" Hanna said, testing out a few more buttons. And then all of a sudden, Caleb's low voice came in through the speaker. Barely audible at first, but clearly the man was singing _Somewhere Over The Rainbow_ and Toby was accompanying him on the guitar.

The two women looked at each other again. "Hanna? How drunk exactly are we?"

"Drunk enough to like what I'm hearing even though I know that Toby must be playing a completely different song," Hanna told her.

"Well at least they managed to put Haley to sleep. See?" Spencer said before they both burst into laughter.

When their giggles had subsided, they lay on the bed for a few more minutes, listening in as the two men finished their song, chuckling again when they watched them try to sneak out of the room without waking the baby. And then the picture went dark for a second before the black and white contours of the room filled the screen again.

It took them both a second to realize that the light in the bedroom in Rosewood had been switched off. Hanna zoomed into the picture until only Haley's face could be seen. She was sleeping with the binkie in her mouth, and both arms were outstretched, resting next to her head. Hanna did a double take. "OK… Is that a carrot in her hand?" she asked, looking at Spencer, who also scrutinized the weirdly shaped object in the baby's hand that the camera was picking up on.

"OK, no more Mojitos for us."

Hanna shut down the app and put the phone back into her purse. She held out her hand for Spencer to help her get up from her comfortable position on the bed. "Come on, future Mrs. Cavanaugh. We have a party in your honor to get back to. I heard they have pretty good virgin Margaritas at the bar, too."

When Spencer was standing, she held Hanna back for a moment. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I haven't told Toby yet, but he's dropped a few hints lately that he would be OK with that… I'm going to go off the pill after our wedding," she said, smiling with anticipation.

"Aww, Spencer! I'm so happy for you!" Hanna hugged her tightly. "Can you keep a secret, too?"

Spencer pulled back, frowning at her. "Uh, yeah."

"We've already started working on a sibling for Haley," Hanna squeaked. "She is such an easy baby, we figured we may as well try for another one soon so that they're close in age."

"Oh my god, really?" Spencer exclaimed, sharing her excitement.

Hanna nodded, and they hugged again. After a while, they let go and proceeded to leave the hotel room. On their way out, Hanna took her phone and typed a text that she eventually sent Caleb.

 _Hoping for front row tickets to your next show tomorrow. And a Meet Greet afterwards…. Kisses, H._

 **THE END**

 ** _I thought I'd try something new and write a bromance story. Your thoughts? XO, Zip_**


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